Four Years
by CloudSpar
Summary: How will Misty react to Ash turning up on her doorstep after four years of no contact to only disappear and leave Pikachu behind? PokeShipping
1. Meeting HIM again

A/N: This is my first story O.O Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

The hard slap of sandals hitting tiles echoed around the gym, reminding the owner that there was no human companionship here. She was alone. No sisters to harass her about her clothes or to be a so-called sensational sister, no fired up trainers demanding a battle from her only to then run away crying after a miserable defeat, and most importantly, no deep chocolate brown eyed boy whose every word caused the red head to fret.

The teen shook her head violently, as if this could help in erasing the thought but only resulted in her long hair falling out from its hold in a messy bun. She couldn't think of him now, if she didn't think of him then she can't feel her heart ache. She simply had to accept that it had been four years since her best friend had told her goodbye and left her behind; forgetting about her or even ignoring her it seems if four years of unreturned letters and phone calls were anything to go by. Turning the corner Misty raised her eyes and found the swimming pool before her. Only her Gyarados, Golduck, Corsola, both evolutions of Staryu and (of course) Azumarill remained. Her sisters had taken the gym's pokemon with them on their extended trip around the world, in order to hold performances they told her. _Though you'd think that enough is enough when you have been on a so called vacation for four years..._ Misty thought bitterly to herself. She had long ago begun to loathe her sisters and their easy abandonment of the gym. She was now eighteen and had spent the last four years slaving away, fighting desperately to rebuild the reputation of the gym her parents had run from the remaining shreds her sisters had left.

"That's awesome work today guys! Really! You all deserve a good rest" Misty called to her pokemon after the daily training, looking around and feeling proud of the team that she had risen. Her pokemon cheered to their trainer, not noting anything amiss. Misty turned and walked towards the pantry, fully intending on collecting their dinner of special pokemon food - part of a care package that Brock painstakingly made especially for her water pokemon as part of his training to become a Pokemon breeder – when the intercom buzz informed her that there was yet another challenger.

"Why can't these brats learn that the gym is only open during the day... more important things to do... inconsiderate little punks" Misty's angry mutterings only fed her temper that steadily built and waited to be unleashed upon her poor victim. Finally making her way to the entrance of the gym, Misty was fuming, it was only a small matter but for some reason she took it as a great insult. How many times must she tell these twerps (stealing the nickname from Team Rocket) that the gym was only open from eight till five? Meaning that they could only challenge her during this time, not whenever they felt it could fit their ever-so-busy-ten-year-old schedule? The red head was ready to lecture said twerp when she froze after glimpsing out the windows to see who would receive her abuse.

That was no ten year old figure leaning against the wall outside the gym doors. Misty could only stare at him, studying his features knowing full well there was no mistake in her recognition of the teen. There was the cap upon his messy black haired head, tilted forward, covering what was sure to be chocolate brown eyes. There were the worn out jeans, sneakers caked in mud and fingerless, green gloves that she knew so well, after all, for how long did she watch him during their travels, longing for that gloved hand to hold her own? If this was not enough the yellow electric mouse by his side left no doubt. Pikachu was resting on his haunches, his eyes flitting between the doors of the gym and his trainer. Misty was lucky enough that in her position she could see the pair without them spotting her. She slowly dropped to the floor, her legs unable to support her weight any longer and her fighting spirit temporarily abandoning her. The twerp was back... her twerp.

***Buzzzt***

The intercom buzzed again and was this time accompanied by tiny knocks of Pikachu's paw against the glass door. The mouse was growing anxious to see her again, Misty assumed, that or to get out of the cold outside. _How could he even consider coming back here?_ Misty asked herself, readying herself to throw mental abuse towards the teen outside. _How dare he? After FOUR YEARS?! After all that talk about how we were "best friends" and how he would "never forget me" – tch, I didn't think he would be such a liar. _Knowing that she couldn't ignore the buzzing forever as a) the neighbours would complain of the racket that now both Pikachu and his trainer were creating outside and b) as this was a gym, it was her responsibility to accept all trainers that arrive.

It would have helped Misty's heart and nerve if upon her arrival at the entrance, Ash did not grin. If he instead scowled and mumbled a greeting rather than cheering her name then enveloping her into a bear hug. How could she forget that smell? Ash's scent? The smell of smoke, dirt, soap and hamburgers filled Misty's nose as Ash spun her around. Pikachu took a running leap into her arms once she was set back down onto the ground, catching the yellow mouse; Misty buried her face into his fur to hide the blush that was growing on her cheeks. No matter how happy she felt to be holding Pikachu, to be looking at the boy, no, the man that she had loved for eight long years – she still had one question that she had to ask.

"Why are you here Ash?" Misty whispered, looking at the floor, hoping that a combination of her fringe and Pikachu would allow her to not have to look in his eyes.

"Well I missed you of course! It's been awhile, I haven't seen you in what... two years?"

"Four... It's been four years since you last saw me, though I can understand why you think it's two. That's when you came come before setting out for the Sinnoh region though I only knew about your visit after you had already left" Misty lifted her head to glare at Ash. _At least if he can't offer an explanation his reaction could be acceptable..._ Misty thought as Ash flinched from the ferocity of her judgemental eyes that seemed to burn into him. He had the decency to look abashed after this reminder. There they are, the token signs of Ash knowing he is in the wrong: the hand scratching the back of his head, the comical sweat drop, over the top grin and conspicuous glance to see if Misty would reveal her mallet to deliver the appropriate clobbering.

For some reason however, this just annoyed her further. Why was he trying to act cute? If they really were the 'best friends' Ash claimed them to be, then why all these years without contact on his part?

Whatever bubble inside Misty that was keeping her temper under control burst after seeing that pathetic smile of his.

"It has also been four years, Ash Ketchum, since you last tried to make any sort of effort towards our friendship. I have lost count of the number of letters I sent you that went unanswered. The phone calls I have made to only have Brock answer and say you were unavailable even though I could hear you feeding him what lines to say. The visits I tried to make during my rare vacation time to the cities that you were headed to only to find from Nurse Joy that you had already moved on!" By this point Misty's eyes were brimming with tears, a side effect of remembering how devastated she had felt in the past and the heartbreak of having to feel it all over again. She vaguely noticed a hand reaching towards her, perhaps in an attempt to comfort her but pulling away and narrowed eyes soon put an end to that. Misty was not finished yet.

"It is time for us to both let go of this fantasy Ash that you even care about me. You have never treated Brock this way, nor May… not even Gary who you claimed to dislike. To be frank, I deserve better than a person who thinks he can treat me this way and still claim we are friends." The words were spilling out; she was no longer in control.

Setting down a now nervous Pikachu onto the tiles, Misty let out a sigh and looked Ash in the eye; the one place where hopefully her message would sink in, no matter how untrue it was. It was a feat to do so considering he looked how she felt. Bewildered, angry and above all else, hurt.

"I don't want you to ever come here again. We are no longer friends so you don't have to pretend we are anymore. You are free to go about your life doing whatever you please, breaking hearts as you go and not caring about who you leave behind."

_Not that you ever did anyway_. Ash tried to speak, but whatever his opinion or excuse was, Misty did not want to hear it.

"Just leave me alone Ash, you have done enough"

Closing his mouth, a hard expression set on Ash's face. Misty looked to the ground, wishing that their reunion had not played out this way but she saw no other way around it. If she had no pride for herself then how could she ever be a Gym Leader? How could she set an example for others to follow if she allowed her friends to treat her this way?

A soft click brought Misty out from her thoughts. Ash Ketchum had left her gym and would hopefully, if there was any justice in the world, never return. As she looked down however Misty knew that would not be the case. He had left a certain yellow rodent behind and Pikachu, unlike herself, held a special place in Ash's heart.

"Pikachu-Pi?"

To be continued :)


	2. Moving On

A/N: Thank you so much everyone for the support in the first chapter! Please enjoy the next part of the story :) Be warned, it may be awhile until my next update, blame uni work.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Pokemon

"Pikachu-Pi?"

It had been half an hour since the abrupt departure of Ash Ketchum from the Cerulean Gym and Misty still had not moved from her now statue-like position. Pikachu was running out of ideas to gain Misty's attention; he had already exhausted yelling her name, pulling his face in the way he previously used to cheer a crying Togepi, tugging on her legs and was now seriously considering a mild thundershock.

_Ash Ketchum came back. Ash was in my gym. He was standing right there. After four years, he came back. He hugged me. I yelled at him. He tried to explain. I wouldn't listen. He hadn't contacted me for four years. I was right to be upset. I shouldn't have yelled at him. He left. I told him to leave… _Round and round the thoughts went in Misty's head, her brain and heart trying to determine if she felt justified or regretted her actions.

"Pikkaaa-chuuu!"

The brief pain and tingling sensation down her body alerted Misty again to Pikachu's presence. _That's another thing, why is Pikachu here? How could Ash have forgotten him, moreover, how could Pikachu forget to leave with Ash?_

Whatever the reason, it wasn't this adorable rodent that Misty was mad at. His master however was a different story, though her sanity could not afford to dwell on that for the time being. The maze would begin again. So instead the teen brushed her hair away from her face, bent down and tried to pick up Pikachu although the mouse had other plans and instead started sprinting away from her and towards the pool.

"Pikachu! Come on! You need to get back to Ash, if you don't go now you might not catch up with him in time!" Misty called out after the pokemon, first jogging then running after the mouse as he skittered across the floor towards the pool. When the teen finally caught up with him, he had found her beloved water pokemon still waiting in and by the pool. All of Misty's pokemon cried out happily and moved towards Pikachu, overjoyed to see an old friend again. All except Gyarados who eyed the mouse cautiously and would have fired a Hyper Beam if she did not already know Misty's wrath and the consequences of a well placed thunderbolt on her water/flying type body.

Misty finally caught up and momentarily stood to enjoy watching the reunion of the pokemon friends before remembering with a single reproachful look from Gyarados that dinner had been delayed.

"Sorry everyone! Here's dinner, you too Pikachu…" Misty called out after quickly retrieving the abandoned specialized PokeFood sacks as well as a case of Pikachu's favorite blend and pouring them into varying sized food bowls. _This is how it is meant to be_… Misty thought to herself, watching the pokemon in front of her as she sipped some soup and dipped her legs into the pool …_Without a certain someone coming in whenever they please, completely disregarding how they have treated certain others in the past and then leaving another best friend behind. He should really stop using that word so carelessly…_

That night and the following week slipped away from the redhead, following the same daily pattern as the previous four years although with an exception; now with every buzz of the door or ring of the phone, Misty's heart started beating double time, wondering if Pikachu's owner had returned to collect him.

After yet another week had passed without contact from Ash (although, it wasn't like this was out of the ordinary), Misty began to worry. _Surely he hasn't abandoned Pikachu… Pikachu and Ash were always inseparable… Just where on _Pokéarth _has Ash Ketchum disappeared to? _Her resolve wavered. She caved. She called Brock.

***Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call! Phone Call! Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call! Phone Call!* **

"Hello? Harrison Residence" called a high pitched and breathy voice from a small, surprisingly wide-eyed girl holding the receiver to her ear, giving Misty a view into what appeared to be a modern lounge room though with obvious childish modifications. Clothes hung in the background, kids ran past screaming their heads off and Misty could see colourful handprints up against the opposite wall. _Poor Brock…_

"Oh, hi! My name is Misty and I was wondering if I may speak to Brock please?"

"Okay! Brroooockkk!" called the little girl, dropping the receiver and bounding away looking for her eldest brother.

"Hi there Misty, what can I do for you? Although, I think I may already know." asked a handsome tanned skin man in his mid-twenties after picking up the phone no less than a minute later. It seemed that in his time studying Brock had matured and had become quite the ladies man (that is if what they said in hushed voices at the Pokemon Center were true). Though admittedly, the appeal was lost when said man was wearing a floral printed apron.

Misty quickly explained what had happened and Brock, playing the understanding big brother knew exactly how she felt. He had seen how Ash had treated Misty over the years though he also knew the reasons behind why.

Fortunately for Misty, he knew where Ash had fled to after the failed reunion considering Ash stopped by before leaving for Cerulean and had told him his plans.

The Unova Region.

"You can't be serious Brock. Gary was right Ash is such a loser! First he goes off to Hoenn bringing only Pikachu with him and now he goes to a brand new place and doesn't have the decency to take his best friend with him. What a twerp… How did he even get there so quickly?!" Misty was outraged. At the very least Ash should take better care of his pokemon. Never mind that she was secretly jealous that he could still travel the world, and now do it so fast.

"Don't judge him too harshly before you know the full story Misty. I know he has treated you horribly but please at least try listening to him properly next time you see him. If not for him, for me."

"What makes you think I will see him again?"

"Because I know you. You won't be able to leave matters the way they are Myst. Besides, Ash only treated you that way because - "

***Click***

A blank screen faced Misty as she held the receiver back onto its cradle. She was aware how rude it was to hang up on her oldest friend but she didn't want to hear anymore. _The Unova region. Well that's just great. How long is he going to wait to come back for Pikachu? Wait… no… it can't be… He doesn't really expect _me_ to bring Pikachu to him?_ A scowl formed on the gym leader's face at this thought. _He really has become a pompous jerk. I have better things to do thank you very much, for starters, I can't even leave the gym unattended –_

"Why, like, hey there baby sister!" called an all too familiar voice throughout the hallway leading to the family home above the gym. _Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear… Well, in this case devils._ Misty thought to herself when she saw what could either be a chance for freedom or her worst nightmare.

In this case, Misty chose freedom. Before her sisters could ask for any more favors from her, Misty flew up the stairs into her aquatic themed room (complete with an oversized fishtank in the corner that housed various sealife that reminded her of the real sea, a balcony to the outside world, sky blue walls and king sized bed where Pikachu now lay) and started throwing whatever she could find in her wardrobe into her old rucksack.

"Misty, what are you, like, doing? You could at least say, like, hi to us, you haven't seen us in like, four years!" Daisy asked upon entering Misty's room and noting the chaos within.

"I'm leaving Daisy. You have had your fun these last few years so I am going back out on an adventure. You owe this to me, after springing running the gym on me that time and leaving me with no instructions whatsoever." Misty turned to face her sister with a determined expression and her rucksack a final tug. "And if you even try to turn the gym back into the joke it was before, I swear I will train Politoed to dowse your face in water every time you finish putting on your makeup. EVERY time."

She started to make her way towards the door and shrug past her sister when she froze. It clicked. _'Myst'. Brock called me 'Myst'. Only Ash has ever called me that before._ Another head shake and step forward. It was officially time to move on from that particular former friend and the best way to do that was to find him to return the current constant reminder of him that was walking along beside her towards the pool, offering his opinion in his own way of speaking.

"Alright, return Gyarados! Staryu! Golduck! Corsola! You too Azumarill" Misty cried to her team, recalling her pokemon to their balls and Azumarill to her side.

_Breathe in, Breathe out. _Misty chanted to herself, trying to settle her excitement as she stood at the doorway of the gym with her sisters' voices echoing behind her, threatening to catch up with her and hold her back. Whilst the reason of the adventure was not exactly what she had hoped, it was still an adventure to other lands and she was not about to give that up. Misty pushed open the door, her mouth rapidly growing into a long forgotten smile. She was free.

The now travelling Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym started running with two euphoric pokemon by her side. Next stop, Vermilion City.


End file.
